Jordan Henderson insists Liverpool won’t give up the fight to qualify for European football.
The Reds had their winning streak of four games curtailed on Saturday with a 3-1 defeat to Mauricio Pochettino‘s Southampton.
The result meant Liverpool ended the weekend five points behind fifth-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
But Henderson believes European qualification is still on if he and his teammates can pick themselves up for their remaining eight games.
“It was a big disappointment against Southampton but Europe’s not gone yet,” he told the Echo. “We’ve still got eight games to play and that’s a lot of points to play for. We’ve still got to play some of the teams above us so we have to keep going.
“We have to pick ourselves up from this and ensure we respond positively against Aston Villa after the international break.”
The midfielder watched most of Saturday’s defeat from the bench, taking to the field in place of Daniel Sturridge for the final nine minutes.
On his battle to regain a place in the starting 11, Henderson added: “I’ve just got to keep working hard.
“Before Saturday, the team had been playing brilliantly so I can’t complain. Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge have both done really well since they came to the club and we’ve got good competition for places. You can’t really change a winning team so I’ve understood why I’ve not played. I just have to make sure that when the manager needs me I’m ready to take my chance.”
The England U-21s captain has now linked up with Stuart Pearce‘s squad ahead of their friendly fixtures against Romania and Austria.
He will be joined by clubmates Jonjo Shelvey, Andre Wisdom, Raheem Sterling and Jack Robinson as they continue to prepare for the European Championships in Israel this summer.
“I’m looking forward to these two games with the U-21s as it’s a good chance for me to get some minutes under my belt,” Henderson added. “They will be tough matches but we want to keep our winning streak going. They are important games to ensure we stay in good shape ahead of the tournament in June.”
